Center-bearing for car-bodies.



uruouzox rum m! a, 1901.

the center of the runivay for the reception or UNITED STATES PATENToFFion.

LARS J. BERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGXOR TO METALLIC SHEATHIXG CO. iIAXY,'.'A

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CENTER-BEARING r011 CAR-BODIES, Y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Laas J. BERG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Imirovements in Center Bearings forCarodies, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates more par ticularly to the center bearingwhich supports a car body upon the truck, althoughthe bearing might beused in other conn'ections for the support of a heav structure movablein a manner similar to that of a car body.

The object of the invention is to provide a roller bearings-urface'which, atthe same time, permits of a suitable amount of play orside motion, which is advisable in the pivot ing of car bodies.

The invention relates more particularly. to the formation and mountingof the rollers in such manner as to dispense with the necessity forpositive means of attachment for the rollers within t-hc'runway.

T he invention further relates to the formation, construction andarrangement of the runway, and means provided to prevent the ingress ofdust and dirt.

The inxcntion consists in the features of construction and combinationof parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims as new.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top or plan view of the runway for therollers; and Fig. 2 a half sectional elevation taken through the runwayand gear hearing.

The runway, which is secured to the truck, comprises .a rectangular bedplate 3 provided with suitable bolt holes 4', for attachment of the bedplate to the truck; and the bed plate has integrally formed therewith acircular runway wall 5 which provides, the interior, a chamber 6 havinga concave floor 7, which is depres ed toward the center and elevatedtoward the periphery. The chamberterminates at the center in a circularcollar 8, leaving a hole or opening 9 through 4:

Ull

a king bolt 10 of the. usual character. Be-

' neath the convex floor 7 the bottom 11 of the bed plate is dished orhollowed to reduce the weight.

T he runway casting above described cooperates with a bearing 12, whichis attached Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9. 1901. Serial No. 372,824.

to the car body,or to the bolster in the usual manner. The bearingcomprises a flatbody portion 13, which has depending therefrom a roundedcircular boss 14, the face of which has a curvature which, in crosssection, is sub- 50 stantially equal to the curvature of the floor ofthe runway, but is curved in opposite relation thereto.- The boss, inits center, is provided with a recess 15, of ample size to receive thecollar 8 and allow a certain amount of play or motion between the parts,which tends to reduce the vibration of the; car body when the trucks arein motion. The rear face 16 of the flat bodgf portion is dished, asshown, and in the center of the dished portion is a solid hub 17,through which the king bolt passes. The opening through the runway is ofsu'llicic'nt size to provide a clearance around the king belt,

which arrangement permits the side'inotion or play of the trucks abovereferred-to.

Between the equally curved-"surfaces ail'orded by the boss and therunway are interposed a plurality of elongated rollers- 18, whichrollers are radially arranged and of concave formation, the concavity ofthe rollers being coincident with the convexity-I: of the surfacesagainst which the rollers bear, and the rollers being of minimunfidiameter at a point intermediate-" their-- length from end to end. Theouterendsi' I!) of the rollers are enlarged. and fi-onical formation,and the rollers are held in place by means of an overhanging. beveledrunway'wall 5. The overhanging bc'velcd i i- Patented Aug. 4, 1908.

portion of the ring, in combination with the inner face of the runwaywall, provides 5 an obtuse angle or shoulder 21 extending,

all around the runway, whit-bangle or shoul- '95 dcr provides a bearingsurface for the conic-al end of the rollers which are preferably;

beveled to contact thrbcaring wall atthisj' point only. The inner orcontrm'tcd end,

22 of the roller is likewise of conical forgna;

tion, and the roller, as shown,is ofslightly less length than the widthof the runway, which prevents any binding or cramping of. the rollerswhen in use. In order to prevent."

the ingress of dust or dirt the ovcrli'anging"105 ring 20 is providedwith a leather washer 23 which bears against the under face of the bodyportion of the-bearing plate 13 which overlies the ring 20. The leatherwasher 23 is set in an annular groove 2-1 and is clamped s l l v a i inplace by means of a rin 25. In like manner a washer 26' is provi edaround the bolt hole to prevent the ingress of dust an dirt-atthispoint.

In use, the looseness of the connection between the .parts'will permit acertain amount of sliding motion or side play which is afiorded byreason of the curvature of the boss which rests upon 8.7.1ll61 surfaceof equal curvature so that the rollers, in addition to their ordinary'function of providing a ivotal bearin furthermore pro ride a sur aceupon whidh the rounded boss can slide-endwise or from side to side,which permits the trucks to have a considerable amount of vibration orside movement without jolting or jarring the car body. The

formation and mountinv for the rollers is onewhich holds the rollers atall times in proper. contact with the bearing surfaces andobviates acertain wedging action which is incident to the use of conical rollersand straight bearing-surfaces. In the use of the latter there is alwaysa tendency .to squeeze or force out the rollers from the center,especially where a heavy weight is supported, but this tendency isobviated in the present case by reason of the fact that the mim- I'brator inum diameter of the rollers is at a point intermediate the endsof the rollers, so that the weight of the car tends to maintain therollers in normal position rather than forcethem out of normalposition.- The overhanging ring provides a roper bearing pomt or anglefor the conical outer ends of the rollers and reduces the friction to asingle point, and at the same time obviates the necessity for journalingor. otherwise positivelysecuring the rollers in position- Furthermorethe curved formation of the rollers and bearing surfaces holds therollers, at all times, in radial alinement and prevents any displacementof the rollers out of their true position, by reason of the fact thatthe curved surfaces will not regi:- ter except when the rollers aremaintained in roper position.

t willbe seen from the foregoing description that the arrangement is onewhich is highly advantageous in the supporting oi heavy structures likecar bodies which are subjected to a considerable amount of Y1- motion inaddition to a turning or pivota motion, and that the arrangement 1s onewhich combines great rigidity and strength with simplicity ofconstruction and smoothness of operation.

interposed rollers each having a concave surface of lessdiameterintermediate its ends and adaptcd to register with the convexbearing surfaces, substantially described.

2. A center bearing, comprising-a runway having a convexly curvedannular bearing surface of generall sloping formation in cross sectionfrom t 1e periphery toward the center,- a rounded boss having a convexsurface, and interposed rollers each having a concave surface andadapted to register with the convex bearing surfaces, and being ofminimum diameter intermediate its ends, substant ally as described.

3. A center bearing, comprising a runway portion having a surroundingannular wall or flange and an interior collar and having a. convexlycurved runway floor curvedly rising from center to circumference, incombination with a roundedboss having a con vexity equal in crosssection to the convexity of the floor, elon 'ated rollers having aconcave bearing surface and being of enlarged diameter near the outerend, the end being of conical formation, and an overhanging beveledcollar rigidly secured to the surrounding wall or flange, and forming,in combination therewith, an obtuse angle adapted to rcceive the topends of the rollers, substantially as'described.

4. A center bearing, comprising a runway.

portion having a surrounding annular wall or flange and an interiorcollar and having a. convexly curved runway floor curvedly rising fromcenter to circumference, in combi nation with a rounded boss having aconvexity equal in cross section to the convexity of the floor,elongated rollers having a 0011- cave bearing surface and being ofenlarged diameter near the outer end, the end being of. conicalformation, anoverhanging beveled collar rigidly secured to thesurrounding wall or flange, and forming, in combination there with, anobtuse angle adapted to receive the top ends of the rollers, and a kingbolt entered through the boss and the collar and adapted to permit sidemotion or vibration, substantially as described.

. LABS J. BERG. 'itnesses:

SAMUEL lV. BAxNrxG, TALKER BANNING.

